Rittenhouse
Square is currently a very coveted neighborhood
in Philadelphia. The area provides a plethora of
shops and restaurants just two blocks away from
our doorstep. It also houses the world renowned
Curtis Institute of Music, where during the week
anyone can go and experience the talent of these
gifted students gratis. However none of this existed
when William Penn decided to erect his city. At
that time, this neighborhood was on the minds only
of brickmakers and claypit workers, and on the mind
of William Penn who allotted most of the lands in
that area to himself and family members.

William Penn received a charter for the establishment
of his city, Philadelphia, in 1681. At this time,
there were already Dutch, Swedish, and English colonists
with intents to explore, trade and farm in the area.
(Philadelphia, A 300 Year History) Three ommissioners
and one surveyor were sent by Mr. Penn that year
to locate the most appropriate area for the settlement.
They decided upon a 1,200 acre area surrounded on
the east by the Delaware River, on the west by the
Schuylkill River, and on the north and south by
the streets we now know as Vine Street and South
Street.

The following year William
Penn and Thomas Holme divided this plot into a rectangular
grid. They designed the city by quadrants, and each
quadrant would flourish around a green area or square
(Northeast Square, Franklin Square; Northwest Square,
Logan Square; Southeast Square, Washington Square;
and Southwest Square, Rittenhouse Square) All four
quadrants would be laid out so that they would surround
the main square where City Hall is presently located.
“ Evenly spaced lots of 1 acre a piece would
allow residents to have private outdoor space for
gardens and retain a sense of country living.”
(Cultural Landscape Foundation) William Penn envisioned
a place of refuge and spiritual union; “a
greene country towne, which will never be burnt,
and always be wholesome.” (Philadelphia: A
300 Year History) Having lived through the bubonic
plague that sieged London in 1665, and the great
fire of 1666, it is not surprising that his ideal
city would consist of the previously aforementioned
qualities.

The neighborhood of Rittenhouse Square was composed
of the area west of Broad Street between Market
and South Streets. The population was sparse due
to the difficulty in going to and from the more
commercial neighborhood along the Delaware River.
The first settlers of Rittenhouse Square were
mostly claypit and brickyard workers as a result
of the propitious soil in the area for this kind
of labor. They began establishing themselves after
the American Revolutionary War was won in 1783
when much of the land was divested from its previous
Pro­British owners and sold. The space designated
for the square was not frequented much, unless
you were a pig, chicken or cow. Nonetheless, the
desire for more space and new developments slowly
brought more settlers to Rittenhouse Square. In
1816, as a means to avoid intrusions from the
friendly livestock and provide a designated space
for humans to roam, the residents had a fence
built around the square. This was one of the first
steps in protecting the area designated by William
Penn to be used for the pleasure and betterment
of society.

The name of Southwest Square was changed to Rittenhouse
Square in 1825 when the residents decided to honor
David Rittenhouse. A descendent of William Rittenhouse,
builder of the first paper mill in the US, David
was a proficient tinkerer and the first director
of the U.S. Mint. Among his numerous accomplishments
are being Professor of Astronomy at the University
of Pennsylvania, Vice­Provost of the University
of the State of Pennsylvania and President of
the Philosophical Society. By 1792, he was considered
"the nation's foremost scientist and instrument
maker".

Trying to fulfill William Penn’s plans for
the Square was probably not what Dr. Philip Syng
Physick had in mind when he decided to build his
house there in 1848. In fact, the house was known
as “Physick’s Folly” for being
considerably out of the way from the commercial
district or Old City, as we now know it. Nonetheless,
Dr. Physick was in search of something similar
to what William Penn had in mind, a place where
he could be at peace, in a tranquil part of the
city away from the rambunctiousness of the commercial
center. Even though he was never able to live
in the house due to the unforeseen building expenses
which concluded in his going bankrupt, I can only
imagine the thought of living here helped ease
his senses. Old City had become everything William
Penn wished to avoid, a populous urban center
devoid of gardens and orchards. "Front Street
between Chestnut and [Walnut Streets], the very
heart of the city was an undrained sewer."

Even so, it was not till almost twenty years later
that it was seen as feasible to establish a railway
to the area which facilitated movement between
Old City and Rittenhouse Square. The Philadelphia
City Passenger Railway was extended to serve the
Rittenhouse Square area in the year 1859. This
provoked an upsurge of transplants to Rittenhouse
Square especially among the wealthy elite of Philadelphia.
“Philadelphia’s elite living around
the square in close proximity to their back­street
stables and servant’s quarters.” (Skaler,
Robert Morris, and Thomas H. Keels. Philadelphia's
Rittenhouse Square. Arcadia Publishing, 2008.)The
people who lived around the square in the period
between 1860 and 1910 were considered Philadelphia's
"Victorian Aristocracy".

As the neighborhood became more fashionable, so
did the amenities and services provided within
it. Churches and schools were built, clubs and
societies were established, and a theater and
orchestra developed. Remnants of this era can
still be seen and enjoyed year round with the
annual Rittenhouse Flower Market, the Art Alliance,
the music recitals at the Curtis Institute, the
plays at Plays and Players Theatre to name a few.
Among the prominent elite that would grace the
neighborhood with its residence were Joseph Harrison
Jr., Pennsylvania Railroad Company presidents,
and Leopold Stokowski. Many others visited such
as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, President Theodore
Roosevelt, and Henry James. Henry James even graced
us with the following words "Philadelphia...
she couldn't not be perfect. She would be, of
all the goodly villages, the very goodliest, probably
in the world."

Unfortunately, not all of William Penn’s
ideas for Philadelphia materialized during his
lifetime or ever. Rittenhouse Square or the Southwest
Square was part of his master plan, and even though
what we see now is a long stretch from what was
originally intended, life has been built around
the Rittenhouse Square, and its essence and significance
have not been undermined.